The present invention relates to a protective garments and, more particularly, to a protective garments worn by an individual to absorb the impact and stop a projectile from penetrating the body of the wearer
Bulletproof protective garments or armor are well known for personal use by human beings to prevent a projectile from penetrating the body of an individual.
Such garments are typically made from a plurality of plates formed of metallic or other suitable material which are fastened together in some manner to fit around the body of the wearer and in particular his upper torso.
Examples of such known bulletproof garments include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,787,449 and 3,829,899, both of which teach protective armor in the form of a vest made of sheets of heavy gauge material. A pocket is formed in the sheets to removably receive a metal insert plate to increase the protective capabilities of the armor. The insert plate is formed of a number of edge-to-edge aligned plates disposed in two vertically extending rows with the joints between the plates covered by a series of third plates. Such an arrangement makes the metal insert plate flexible enough to bend transversely to the plane of the joints so as to fit about the body of the wearer in a vertical plane.
Another form of bullet proof armor is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,723,214. This bulletproof armor construction comprises a plurality of alternating layers of rigid plates and elastic material. Each layer of plate is formed of a plurality of individual segments with joints between the segments offset from layer to layer.
These patents show that it is well known to form bulletproof armor with flexible plates which flex or hinge to conform to the curvature of the torso of the wearer along one plane, i.e., up and down. However, problems still exist with their use as regarding the mobility of the individual wearing the bulletproof armor. The prior art uses rigid plates arranged for flexing or hinging along one plane so as to conform to the body of the wearer along that particular plane. However, the torso of a human being curves in both the vertical and horizontal planes. Thus, the provision of rigid plates that can flex along only one plane does nothing for conforming the shape of the bulletproof vest or armor to the shape of the human torso along the other plane, i.e., from side-to-side. The plates along this other plane are rigid and extend substantially straight along the vest which reduces the mobility of the individual wearing the protective garment since the garment does not closely conform to the shape of the human being along this plane. In addition, such a bulletproof armor construction fails to provide for a close fit for a wide variety of different sized wearers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,286 discloses a bulletproof protective plate assembly suitable for use as bulletproof armor. The protective plate assembly includes a plurality of first plates arranged in vertical edge-to-edge relationship. The first plates are formed with contiguous first and second portions, with the second portion disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the first portion, such that the first plates closely conform to the shape of the upper torso of a human being along the vertical plane when the protective plate assembly is applied thereto. One of the lateral edges of the second portion of certain of the first plates is notched or disposed at an obtuse angle with the corresponding contiguous edge of the first portion of the first plate so as to enable the first plates to flex or hinge about the adjoining vertical edges without the edges of the second portions of each plate abutting to thereby closely conform the protective plate assembly to the body of the wearer along the horizontal plane. A plurality of second plates are disposed over the joints between adjoining edges of the first plates. The first and second plates are contained in the desired position within an enclosure that is inserted into a cavity in a conventional bulletproof vest or can be used with an identically formed protective plate assembly and connecting straps to protect both the front and back of the wearer. It is evident from the above description and from the drawings accompany the above patent that the proposed solution confers great uncomfort upon a user since the protective plate assembly is not flexible.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a protective assembly for individual use which overcomes the problems associated with prior art bulletproof protective garments and armor. It would also be desirable to provide a protective assembly which conforms to the shape of the upper torso of a human being along both the horizontal and vertical planes and which is flexible. Finally, it would be desirable to provide a protective assembly which does not hinder the movement of the wearer so as to provide increased mobility therefore.